Our prediction for this Champions League match
Expect an electrifying atmosphere at Villa Park when Aston Villa and Juventus square off against each other in the Champions League round 5. The Villans are eyeing their fourth win of the process, but Wednesday’s clash will be anything but a walk in the park for Unai Emery’s troops. All Kamara, Konsa, Onana, and Ramsey miss out with injuries, while Ian Maatsen has overcome his minor problem.
The Bianconeri, on the other hand, played out a 1-1 draw with Lille in their last Champions League game. Juve are likely to adopt a cautious approach in the Villa Park showdown and seeing that Aston Villa have conceded only one goal in the process to date, there is a big value in betting on under 2.5 goals. Brazil defender is back from suspension for the Serie A outfit, while the likes of Bremer, Dusan Vlahovic, and Juan Cabal are out of contention with injuries.
How the bookies view it: Villa to taste victory
Despite failing to win any of their last six matches, Aston Villa are 13/10 (Bingoplus) favourites to emerge victorious.
Juventus’ most recent Champions League game with Lille ended all square and the same outcome here can be backed at 23/10 (Betano), while the away win is trading at 2/1 (Bingo Plus).
Players to watch: McGinn in battle mode
With an intense midfield battle anticipated on Wednesday night, Aston Villa’s John McGinn merits support to commit two or more fouls at 5/4 on Jilipark. The Villa captain has been guilty of multiple offences in three of his last four Premier League outings.
Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli picked up his fourth yellow card of the season against AC Milan on Saturday. The Italian international has made three misdemeanours in two his last three outings in Serie A, making him an attractive option for two or more fouls at 10/11 (Jilipark) at Villa Park this midweek.
Predicted line-ups
Aston Villa could again be without Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, Ezri Konza and Jacob Ramsey, all of whom missed out against Crystal Palace.
Former Aston Villa man Douglas Luiz won’t get the chance to face his former employers due to a muscle injury, while top scorer Dusan Vlahovic is ruled out with a thigh issue.
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Barkley, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Weah
Aston Villa vs Juventus Prediction
Aston Villa and Juventus clash on Wednesday at Villa Park with both teams seeking to get back on track in the Champions League.
Unai Emery’s men suffered their first defeat in the competition, a one-nil loss to Club Brugge, which is part of a six-match winless run heading into this meeting.
In the same vein, their home form has been poor lately with only one win in their previous five matches, as they hope to return to winning ways on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw with Lille after failing to convert eleven goal attempts in their last outing in the tournament.
The Old Lady remain winless in their last two games away from home, and this contest could be a turning point.
Aston Villa is dealing with significant injuries ahead of this clash, with Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Ezri Konsa all expected to miss this game.
Considering Aston Villa’s six-match winless run and their injury crises leading up to this contest, we anticipate Juventus to capitalize and grab an important victory at Villa Park.
Both clubs have a solid defensive record in the competition, and we predict a low-scoring game with under 2.5 looking like a plausible option.
